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Carrot Bundt Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting #BundtBakers

My boyfriend, Jordan, is obsessed with making lists. He makes lists for everything, his top 10 albums of all time, his top 5 trips of all time, his top 10 Cassie’s Kitchen recipes, he’s always and forever ranking items in his head and somehow manages to remember them all when asked to recite them. He’s always asking me for my favorites – and I don’t always have an answer because my tastes change pretty often. The music I listen to now is certainly different than what I was listening to in high school or college, and the things I like to do have changed as well. But something that has never changed, from the time I was little, is my favorite month of the year – September.

Despite September always marking the end of summer, it also marks the start of my favorite fall weather, my favorite fall ingredients, and my favorite fall activities. Sometimes there’s nothing better than going for a long run in crisp fall air, while the leaves just start to sparkle with their yellow and orange glow. Okay, maybe actually even better, is coming home after that long run and eating a big slice of this carrot bundt cake with maple cream cheese frosting. Yea, then nothing is better.

I recently joined this group of food bloggers call Bundt Bakers, and this is my first entry! It’s a fun group where every month one of the group’s bloggers picks a main ingredient or flavor, and everyone creates a glorious and delicious bundt cake based on that ingredient. This month’s theme was fall harvest, which couldn’t have better, because my refrigerator is overflowing with delicious veggies and fruits from my CSA. I’ve been inundated with pounds and pounds of carrots, so I thought what could be better than a spicy carrot (bundt!) cake with some maple cream cheese frosting. Because seriously, maple cream cheese frosting definitely tops my list of favorite icings of all time. Or wait, is that bourbon buttercream? Ugh, I can never make up my mind! Wherever it ranks on my list of all time faves, this recipe is a winner. This goes right up there with one of my favorite fall desserts, and maybe, dare I say it, the best carrot cake I’ve ever had. It’s so moist, just the right amount of spice from cinnamon and ginger, and then that icing, oh my. Dig in to fall flavors, and start creating your own favorites with this recipe!

Carrot Bundt Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Note: I prefer to soak the dried fruit in brandy before I bake them in this cake, so that they are super plump and moist and add a special flavor to the cake. The alcohol will bake off, but if you don’t want to do this step, simply skip adding the brandy to the cranberries and mix them in with the carrots, nuts and coconut. It’s best to grate the carrots by hand on a box grater, if you use a food processor the carrots may become too wet and the cake might collapse. Be sure to peel the carrots and chop off the ends before grating.

1 cup shredded coconut ( used unsweetened but sweetened would also work)

2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup butter, melted

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

3 tablespoons good maple syrup

1 1/2 cups confectioner sugar, sifted

Recipe

For the cake:

In a small bowl, add the dried cranberries (or raisins) and brandy and allow to sit for at least 30 minutes, or up to 24 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour a 9- or 10-inch bundt pan and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt. In another bowl, stir together the carrots, 1 cup of the chopped nuts, coconut and drained cranberries (or raisins). Set both bowls aside.

In a large bowl, using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a hand-held mixer, beat together the sugar and melted butter until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, and continue to beat until the eggs are fully incorporated. Add the vanilla and mix until smooth. On low speed, add the flour mixture a few additions at a time until the dry ingredients are evenly distributed. Do not over mix. With a spatula or wooden spoon, gently fold in the carrot mixture.

Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and bake for 45-55 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before inserting onto a wire rack and icing.

For the icing:

In a medium bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and maple syrup together until light and fluffy. Add the confectioner sugar and mix for 3 minutes so that icing is fluffy and shiny. Pour the icing over the top of the bundt cake and allow it to fall over the sides of the cake. Toast the remaining 2 tablespoons of pecans (or walnuts) and sprinkle over top.

Serve the cake at room temperature. Cake will keep in an air tight container for 2 days.

Check out what others in our #BundtBakers group are doing! Links below!

Interested in learning more about us?? #BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. You can see all our of lovely Bundts by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the BundtBaker home page here.

If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com. If you are just a lover of Bundt baking, you can find all of our recipe links by clicking our badge above or on our group Pinterest board.

This sounds (and looks) sooooo good. Great minds think alike, our cakes are kind of similar, and we both looove September!
Bravo, what a great first cake! I love the addition of coconut to the cake and maple to the glaze. Welcome!

When I read carrots and maple I thought what are a perfect match! Then I read through and saw all the other delicious ingredients like cranberry and coconut…this just sounds so fabulous. I wish I could savor a slice! 😀

This is my first month baking with BB too! 😀 …Welcome to the group. Lovely first entry Cassie ^_^

We play a game in my family called Last Meal, where you have to tell what your meal choice would be if it were your last on earth. That means choosing a favorite and I struggle every time! But now, it might well include maple cream cheese frosting. Lovely cake, Cassie! So glad you have joined Bundt Bakers!